(CNN) - The president of the Family Research Council characterized Rep. Ron Paul's weekend win in the Values Voter Summit straw poll as "an outlier."

Tony Perkins, who heads the social conservative group, said the Republican presidential candidate influenced the results by busing supporters to the event, proving his 37% support is not reflective of social conservative backing nationally.
"I think Ron Paul, when you look at everything is an outlier in this poll," Perkins said Monday on CNN's "American Morning." "You see Herman Cain finishing a strong second, followed by Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Those are more reflective I think of actually the other polls and what's happening in the social conservative community."

Paul, the longtime Texas congressman who is making his third bid for the White House, led the field of GOP candidates including former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain with 23%, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania with 16%, Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 8%, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with 8%, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 4% and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 3%.

Thanks to strong support from his followers, Paul has come out on top in many of the most prominent GOP presidential nomination straw polls over the past two years. He won the Conservative Political Action Conference contest in 2010 and 2011 and the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference earlier this year.

Perkins also connected the sentiments of the Occupy Wall Street movement with those of Paul supporters, over 700 of whom voted in Saturday's survey.

"We should not discount there's a lot of discontent with big ineffective government that's taking place in this country, and I think the Ron Paul campaign reflects that," Perkins said. "The message of his campaign is sending is something other campaigns have to listen to as well."

Romney won the straw poll during his last bid for the White House in 2008 and Perkins attributed his drop to decreased attention over values issues, despite articulating "those values this year" during his speech.

soundoff(240 Responses)

cf

I am so annoyed with Ron Paul supporters and their "Dr Paul this" and "Dr Paul that." Who cares if he is a doctor? What affect does that have on his qualifications to be President? Is he running for President of the United States or of a hospital board?

I don't hear anybody calling Obama "Dr Obama" (and yes, he has a law doctorate, so Dr Obama is technically his proper title), so spare me the "that's his title so it's a sign of respect" argument. I don't care how many babies Ron Paul has delivered, it doesn't mean he would be a good president.

Frankly, the idea that such an anti-science and anti-reproductive-choice person as Ron Paul could even become a doctor is frightening.

October 10, 2011 12:58 pm at 12:58 pm |

thomas

Tony Perkins works for Rick Perry. What else would you expect him to say !

October 10, 2011 12:59 pm at 12:59 pm |

stranger in an increasingly strange land

Let me see if I got this one straight. A Republican, A God fearing, family first, wave the flag and claim to save the children Republican, goes to a conservative Christian based group and thinks its OK to stack the deck towards himself. Cheating isn't cheating if it is in a good cause?
If a person is willing to bend rules and try to fudge results, what does it say about their basic character?

October 10, 2011 01:02 pm at 1:02 pm |

R

all news feeds are again ignoring Ron Paul, or lambasting him. Every time they do this, he keeps rocketing ahead in popularity. If they report the truth, he will still accelerate. The grassroots are now growing like crabgrass in the establishments Corporate groomed lawn.
Ron Paul 2012
make sure you are a registered republican for the Primary votes! REGISTER NOW!

October 10, 2011 01:02 pm at 1:02 pm |

cf

"Values Voters" summit? Hmmm...
So in a poll in which all voters are extremist right wing Christian nutjobs, the candidate who is the biggest extremist right wing Christian nutjob wins. And this is news, how?

October 10, 2011 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |

Mike

"Ron Paul has two brothers who are Lutheran pastors. Ron Paul has attended church his entire life. He has been married for 50 years to the same wife. All his children are happily married. Ron Paul is family values."

True. Ron Paul does represent family values. However, that's not the same as Family (capital F) values. The agenda of Family values is Theocracy – the replacement of the constitution of the United States with a Biblical Republic organized along Old Testament lines. Ron Paul believes in secular government (as the Founders intended). He will never be acceptable to Tony Perkins and his friends on the Religious Right.

October 10, 2011 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |

JoeT

@JoeMama - it's more a matter of deciding which sort of welfare you think the gov't. and society should be in business of providing and to what extent. The main forms being individual welfare to the indigent, corporate welfare to struggling industries with potential, welfare to wealthy individuals in the form of lower tax rates, or corporate welfare to companies with solid profits. Regardless, every government since the dawn of time has spent money and resources– either to broaden the irrigation network, build walls, buy soldiers, or refurbish the temples. For us it's a question of what projects the government and society should fund– big ones TVA, an interstate system, moon missions; and little things like police, firemen, teachers, water and sanitation.

Ron Paul suggests the federal government should have no role whatsoever in any of this; yet I do not trust corporations to keep our air and water clean, our transportation system working for all citizens, or be motivated by anyone beyond their boards of directors. What is it Madison said about men NOT being angels?

October 10, 2011 01:04 pm at 1:04 pm |

Briggs

The whole GOP campaign CNN has been avoiding Ron Raul, even when he worn the California Straw Poll and the NH second place Straw Poll, they do nothing but down play, avoid and bad mouth Ron Paul. It shows the kind of journalistic junk they are made of.

October 10, 2011 01:05 pm at 1:05 pm |

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ

This should make someone wonder if the Values conference really stands for something. Ron Paul, as much as I disagree with him on many things, won fair and square from what I understand. Maybe Tony Perkins should take a second look at what he believes and how inclusive he really wants to be.

October 10, 2011 01:06 pm at 1:06 pm |

Robert

Okay, can't the rich people just pick one of the top four (Mitt, Perry, Cain, or Bachmann) and get it over with? It's not like anyone wants them. Furthermore, as 'Batty' Bachmann points out she won the Iowa Straw Poll, which means she's the best (must not've read the rest of the results... like everything else), but that it doesn't matter, as they all are there for jobs, economy, and to make Obama a one-term president... So it doesn't matter which one the rich pick!!

October 10, 2011 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |

steven harnack

All of those people who are blaming CNN and the MSM for TONY PERKINS statement need to turn in their voters registrations and refrain from voting. PERKINS says that Ron Paul didn't win, not the media. That you would even HAVE to explain that to some people is beyond insane and says volumes about right wingers.

October 10, 2011 01:09 pm at 1:09 pm |

It's Like This

Get it through your thick little conservative heads. Ron Paul is the only person you've got that can beat Obama.

October 10, 2011 01:11 pm at 1:11 pm |

brian

Ron Paul IS what America needs NOW. He and now might just be our last chance before reaching the point of "no return".

October 10, 2011 01:13 pm at 1:13 pm |

Jake

America should feel very threatened by the idea of Tony Perkins and Family Research Council influencing who becomes President!

October 10, 2011 01:18 pm at 1:18 pm |

Jock

Obviously people have voiced their opinions once again and chose what was contradictory to main stream media. Maybe if people started to listen to their constituents vs. positioning themselves on variety of unimportant media buzzwords, they too can win with the people. the gop field is a joke, as is our current president. i wish bloomberg would run. he'd be fantastic.

October 10, 2011 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

Doc M

"Christian values" have no place in modern political or legistive dialogue. Our country is girdlocked over this issue. Let's move forward, not backward. I don't care what anyone's religious affiliation is if they keep it out of law making. Once they start imposing their beliefs on me, than they are infringing on my rights. As much as Paul's followers think he's great, he's a huge turn off to woman who want to retain their right to choose what happens to their bodies. On that level, and many more in my opinion, he's being a hypocrite. He wants "smaller government" yet wants to allow government to interfere with personal issues. No way.

October 10, 2011 01:25 pm at 1:25 pm |

David K. Meller

Does it occur to anybody that maybe Christain Conservatives are more intelligent and observant that their "leadership" gives them credit for? For several decades, since the late '70s in fact, the GOP has tried to exploit the Christian Right with rhetoric and demagoguery, but no substance.Roe v. Wade is still in place, no-fault divorce is as widespread as ever, with more than 70% of marital breakups initiated by wives, out-of-wedlock births, with all of the attendent pathology,are as frequent and destructive to the patriarchal family as ever, and the gay 'marriage(?) juggernaut goes merrily on and the GOP did, and does, NOTHING...

All the GOP offers is a deteriorating economy, perpetual war for perpetual peace, the further erosion of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and an evaporating dollar! Maybe Christains want something better for their country and their children! We support Ron Paul because the other poseurs and phonies have had their chance and are–at best–empty suits!

Ron Paul in 2012!!

PEACE AND FREEDOM!–David K. Meller

October 10, 2011 01:28 pm at 1:28 pm |

Rick from chicago

Why does every Ron Paul supporter I know brag about his sound foreign policy of ending wars but conveniently forget to mention his incredibly UNSOUND domestic policy of demonizing government and more free market/deregulation of business? Is this intentional? He wants to do more of what caused a lot of our problems in the first place – including quite recently the financial collapse of 2008 and the destruction of the Gulf last summer. He also wants federalism when it suits his fundamentalist bible whacker mentality such as supporting DOMA as well as overturning roe v wade even though there is no federal funding for abortion. The guy is more than the one sound bite you like to hear people.

October 10, 2011 01:28 pm at 1:28 pm |

Dennis

Ron Paul is going nowhere fast.I lost all respect for him when he thought it was a good idea to eliminate Medicare and when he proposed to close down all Veteran Administration medical facilities,that did it for me.Why anyone would listen to this little imp is beyond me!

October 10, 2011 01:31 pm at 1:31 pm |

Jennifer

Ron Paul did win the poll, accept it. Don't insult all American people as though we are all stupid enough to do what we are told by the media.

October 10, 2011 01:34 pm at 1:34 pm |

portland tony

Who the hell is Tony Perkins and why should he be quoted by CNN? There are so many political groups out there, both liberal or conservative, who have literally nothing of consequence to say....Why then does the great news organization give them a pulpit to blab from? Family Research Council......Ha!

October 10, 2011 01:35 pm at 1:35 pm |

Kelli

@Rick- There is a video of Ron Paul from several years ago on the House floor predicting the financial collapse of 2008. What exact policy of his caused the financial collapse?

October 10, 2011 01:36 pm at 1:36 pm |

NWO unfolding

The peoples choice is clearly Ron Paul.

This clown shoe is part of the globalist agenda and is in line with the Medias shenanigans in shunning Dr. Ron Paul.

Ron Paul is the only candidate that can truly defeat the current administration.

October 10, 2011 01:37 pm at 1:37 pm |

Steve

"an outlier." huh? LOL.... Ron Paul is the only candidate that isn't talking out both sides of his mouth. In reality he is our only hope of straightening out the government. "Get the government off my back and out of my wallet" and the great American free market will move full steam ahead.

October 10, 2011 01:43 pm at 1:43 pm |

Philojazz

So, I wonder what Mr Perkins will say when the Republican nominee HE favors loses the general Presidential election? My advice, Mr Perkins, is start working on your next "non-acceptance of Reality" speech!